General

All tarantulas are carnivorous, and they feed on living prey. Most tarantulas seem to prefer small insects and other invertebrates that don’t put up much of a fight when caught, which means the tarantulas get…

Burrows and retreats are relatively humid and thus cooler than the surrounding surface, plus the substrate itself helps insulate the spider from extremes of temperatures. In nature the tarantula’s burrow usually is situated in a…

Finding the perfect tarantula can be difficult, as many commonly imported species (especially from Africa andAsia) are simply too aggressive to make good pets for the beginning or intermediate keeper. The most col­orful American tarantulas…

Some tropical tarantulas have made the move from the ground to shrubs and trees. There they spin thick, unsightly webs over tree holes in which they spend the day. The web­bing helps them maintain the…

Many tarantulas have small geographic ranges and probably don’t occur in large numbers in the wild. They also face the usual problems tropical animals do, including loss of suit­able habitat due to conversion of forests…

Handling a tarantula always is problematic, and holding it upside down can be stressful to both you and the spider. Instead, many breeders prefer to determine sex, especially of females, by examining cast skins under…

Many hobbyists fear the molt because of the possibility of a molt-related death. However, this separation of the new and old exoskeletons is essential if the tarantula is to grow. The new skin is fully…